Main Findings for 1 Bedroom Properties

Over the past year, 16 out of 18 areas have seen increases in
rent for 1 bedroom properties. West Lothian has seen the highest
increase (5.5%) while Lothian has seen an increase of 5.3% between
2015 and 2016. Other areas that have seen increases range from 5.2%
in Renfrewshire / Inverclyde to 0.5% in Dundee and Angus. Four
areas saw a decrease, ranging from -0.5% in Scottish Borders to
-15.2% in Aberdeen and Shire. See Chart 2 and Table 1 below.

Average rents for 1 bedroom properties have increased by 0.4%
between 2015 and 2016, at the Scotland level.

Over the 6 year period from 2010 to 2016, Lothian has seen the
highest increase in private rents for 1 bedroom properties, with
average rents rising by 25.5% (cumulative increase over 6 years).
Average rents in the Greater Glasgow area have risen by 19.0%
between 2010 and 2016, whilst average rents in Highlands and
Islands have increased by 11.0%.

For the remaining areas of Scotland, cumulative increases have
ranged from 9.7% (West Lothian) to 0.5% (Scottish Borders). The two
areas where average rents fell between 2010 and 2016 were South
Lanarkshire (-0.4%) and the Ayrshires (-2.4%).

These regional trends combine to show a 10.5% cumulative
increase for 1 bedroom properties from £436 in 2010 to
£482 in 2016.

Figures on changes to rents for 1 bedroom properties over the
period from 2010 to 2016 should be considered in the context of the
cumulative increase in the
UK Consumer Price Index
of 12.6% from Sept-10 to Sept-16. For example over the 6 year
period, average rents for 1 bedroom properties in the Lothian and
Greater Glasgow areas have risen faster than the consumer price
index, whilst changes in average rents for 1 bedroom properties in
other areas of the country have been below the rise in the consumer
price index.

See
Reference Tables (Tables 12 to 18) for a
more detailed breakdown of quartile and average rents for each
year.

For the year to end-September 2016, Lothian had the highest
average monthly rents for 1 bedroom properties across Scotland
(£653). Other areas with higher rents included Aberdeen and
Shire (£556) and Greater Glasgow (£520). Areas with the
lowest average rents for 1 bedroom properties included Ayrshires
(£366) and Scottish Borders (£338). See Chart 3 and
Table 2 below.